Among the artworks and photographs on display at Waterscapes, an on-going exhibition based on the theme of water, the photographs of Masood Hussain automatically catches the eye.

A beautiful shot of a Pied Kingfisher emerging from water after catching its prey and the reflection of a Spot-billed Duck caught in crystal clear water ignites one’s interest to know more about Masood. “The shot of the Pied Kingfisher at the exhibition was the result of three days of waiting at Gir National Park, Gujarat,” says Masood, a full-time businessman and a “Sunday” photographer.

A self-taught photographer, Masood might just be the youngest member of the AP Photographic Society to be awarded the distinction ‘Artist FIAP’ by International Federation of Photographic Art (IFIAP), an organisation comprising more than a million photographers globally.

The distinction is given to photographers whose artistic qualities and techniques  have been acknowledged through participation in international salons under FIAP Patronage.

“Every country has its own photography salon and to apply at IFIAP, a photographer needs 40 such acceptances for different pictures. I have participated in 15 international salons and got acceptance from Canada, UK, USA, Thailand, Serbia, Belgium and France. You need to visit IFIAP’s Website and once they approve of your work, they award you this distinction. I’ll be getting the documentation by next month,” says the wildlife photographer.

As a child, Masood was exposed to wildlife during hunting expeditions organised by his grandfather. And gradually, he decided to do the same, expect this time he was using a camera for the shots. “Though I’ve been interested in wildlife photography, it’s only been two years since I have taken it up. Most of my work is shot at places like Sanjeevaiah Park, Ameenpur Lake etc.,” he says.

He even bagged the top honour in the Birds category at the AP state level photography competition organised during CoP-11 last year. “The thing about animal photography is that birds won’t pose for you. This makes it all the more challenging and one needs a lot of patience,” says Masood, whose works were  featured on the cover of the Smart Photography magazine for the August 2012 issue.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Books-Art / DC / by Anisha Dhiman / July 02nd, 2013